Sheep Housing and Facilities Requirements

PennState Extension
(Previously published online with PennState Extension: August 28, 2025)

Well-designed sheep facilities should promote the health and welfare of sheep. They should provide a comfortable, stress-free environment for sheep to live. In addition, the facilities should allow producers to complete routine management tasks efficiently.

Sheep require a minimum pen size and a minimum size for feeders. Pen and feeder sizes both vary based on the size of the sheep. Well-designed facilities will also save labor and allow for more efficient management tasks throughout the year.

Housing Facilities
All sheep operations should include some type of housing facility. For example, Continue reading Sheep Housing and Facilities Requirements →

Forage Management After Drought and a Tough Growing Season

Dr. Emma Matcham, Assistant Professor, OSU Integrated Forage Systems Specialist
Christine Gelley, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Noble County
Dr. Ted Wiseman, OSU Extension ANR Educator, Perry County

After two years of drought stress followed by erratic rainfall patterns in 2025, Ohio forage producers are facing a challenging landscape. Pastures across the region show signs of wear—uneven growth, bare patches, and thin stands—while newly seeded alfalfa fields have struggled to establish due to poor planting conditions and unpredictable moisture. As winter approaches, now is the time to take action to protect soil, improve forage stands, and plan for a more successful spring.

Bare ground in pastures is more than an eyesore—it can lead to erosion, weed invasion, and mud. To prevent further degradation, producers should aim to cover exposed soil before winter sets in. Fast-growing annual grasses like cereal rye are a practical option for late-season seeding. Cereal rye can be planted in Ohio until November 1 and is Continue reading Forage Management After Drought and a Tough Growing Season →

Evaluating the performance of small ruminant operations

Erin Massender, small ruminant specialist (acting), Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Delma Kennedy, sheep specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
(Previously published online with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs: March 28, 2023)

(Image Source: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)

Learn about the benefits of performance evaluation and how to get started setting goals and benchmarking for small ruminant operations.

Introduction
Evaluating performance is a critical step towards increasing production efficiency and profitability of Ontario small ruminant operations. Small changes in production can have a big impact on overall profitability.

This fact sheet describes the benefits of performance evaluation and how to get started with setting goals and benchmarking for small ruminant operations. The companion fact sheet Measuring productivity of the sheep flock describes production targets for Ontario sheep flocks.

Recording information and evaluating performance also helps determine the operation’s strengths and weaknesses, allowing time and resources to be Continue reading…

Considerations in Goat Barn Design

Katie Jackson, Morgan Hayes, and Joseph Taraba, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky
(Previously published online with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service: April, 2024)

(Image Source: LSU Ag Center)

Introduction
Farmers who raise goats for meat or milk need guidance in the interrelated tasks of choosing a barn design and managing temperatures for their herd. Barn orientation, ventilation design, and stocking density are all important considerations which impact goats socially and physiologically, potentially impacting production. While other species are relatively well studied in these areas, research on goats is somewhat limited. T he goal of this publication is to provide recommendations drawn from research in goats and sufficiently similar species.

Stocking Density and Internal Layout
Stocking density can be highly variable between operations, often driven by management styles, for example, if the goats spend time predominantly on pasture vs. in a barn. Many goat spacing studies were run to determine pasture spacing. Pasture studies are likely excessively conservative (providing high square footage per goat) when applied to barns, since stocking density in a pasture impacts not only lying space and social constraints, but also dry matter availability and the probability of ingesting parasite eggs. Sheep literature is also limited in its application to goats.

Continue reading…

Feeding the Pregnant Doe – Understanding the Need for Supplements, Minerals and Vitamins

Dr. Robert J. Van Saun, DVM, MS, PhD, Extension Veterinarian, Department of Veterinary Science, Penn State University
(Previously published online with Cornell University)

Introduction
There has been much interest over the past decade regarding pregnancy nutrition and its impact on animal health, reproductive, and lactational performance. As a result the pregnant, nonlactating animal has become the most scrutinized animal on the farm. In the not so distant past, and probably still in the present on many farms, management of the pregnant animal was by benign neglect. Everything focused on the animal at the time of parturition and later as a result of the perceived importance of the lactating animal. Marginal quality feeds, unbalanced rations and inadequate housing all characterize poor pregnant animal management practices. Deficient care during late pregnancy can result in decreased colostrum yield and quality; diminished milk yield and component concentration; increased incidence of health disorders in dam and kid; and impaired fertility. The end result is reduced overall productive efficiency and depleted potential profits. A reorientation of our perception of the nonlactating, late pregnant doe is needed. The goat producer as well as the supporting veterinarian can take a lesson from their dairy colleagues in placing a renewed emphasis on the nutritional management of the pregnant doe. Unfortunately, very little specific information is available regarding pregnant doe nutrition. Therefore, current research concepts regarding late gestation nutrition and management for dairy cattle and ewes will be extrapolated to the pregnant doe.

Continue reading…

USDA Market News to Add Mt. Hope Auction in Ohio

American Sheep Industry Association

Working in partnership with The Ohio State University, USDA Market News will begin providing coverage of the Mt. Hope Auction, Mt. Hope, Ohio, with the first published report scheduled to be released in mid-October.

The Mt. Hope sheep and goat auction is the third largest sheep and goat market in the nation, behind the markets in San Angelo, Texas, and New Holland, Pennsylvania. It is also one of the primary markets attracting a large volume of buyers interested in purchasing small ruminates for ethnic slaughter, predominately Halal, meat prepared as prescribed by Muslim law.

The addition of this market will increase the auction volume of sheep and goats reported by USDA in the U.S. from 30% to 35%, increasing price discovery and improving market transparency for the U.S. sheep industry. This will be the first USDA Market News livestock auction report for Ohio, made possible through a recently enacted Federal-State partnership with The Ohio State University that has provided the opportunity to facilitate price discovery for this highly followed sheep market in the Eastern corn-belt.